Welcome to the City of Dust (3)

Jin left the alleyways, arriving at a street littered with filth around every corner. He looked upon it with disgust, though he tried to hold back his revulsion.

These streets were drowned in filth, with trash scattered everywhere—cigarettes, alcohol bottles, used syringes—but the filthiest of all were the people themselves.

They were cloaked in filth, the grime clinging to them so tenaciously it could pass for a second skin. The only 'showers' the slum dwellers ever knew came from the acidic rain pouring down from the sky.

The material composing the roads had deteriorated over time, crafted from cheap materials that no one bothered to maintain. 

Like the dilapidated buildings and makeshift shacks fashioned from scrap, they were vulnerable to even a gentle breeze, leaving their inhabitants without shelter. 

But amongst all this filth, one person stood out while walking—Jin.

With an expression that suggested he was holding back open disgust, Jin walked through the streets, ignoring the people around him as he focused on his goal.

Though he stood out, no one dared to bother him. Normally, anyone moderately dressed nicely in the Tenth District became a target for robbery, but no one would even dare to try and rob Jin with his intimidatingly large frame.

"What did the Contractor say again? What can we expect for our payment?" Jin asked Thirteen, though, to others, he appeared to be talking to himself.

"This is a good-paying job," Thirteen informed him, "the Contract said three thousand credits."

After hearing the amount, Jin wasn't pleased. "This is only going to be enough for a week at most after buying meds for both of us," he murmured, disappointment evident in his voice.

"I'm going to be fine, buy meds for yourself this time. Now that you've used your lightning, it's only a matter of time until you start showing symptoms," Thirteen expressed his worries to Jin.

"I'm still fine, and I can go on longer than you without my meds. We are going to buy them for you, and I don't care," Jin said firmly as he continued his walk. He opened his holographic map once more, realizing he was beginning to forget the way to their meeting point, continuing to ignore Thirteen's worried voice.

"We are getting close to the Contractor… what do you think, who are they exactly?" Jin wondered aloud, directing his question to Thirteen.

"They are probably from one of the corporations that knew what Genesis was doing while lurking around District Ten," Thirteen speculated.

"You are probably right, but that would mean that other corporations knew about what is in District Ten because there has to be. No one else would bother otherwise," Jin reasoned.

"You are probably right. We have to investigate that later as well, but let's get our money first, Jin," said Thirteen.

"Yeah, you are right… and I'm starving for a pizza as well," Jin admitted, his stomach rumbling at the thought.

"I could never understand that. You try to remain as clean as possible, but your favorite food is one of the messiest ones you could find," remarked Thirteen, unable to comprehend his partner's sometimes strange behavior.

"Yes, being clean is important, but I can't ignore my taste buds, nor my stomach, and both of them love a good slice of pizza," Jin admitted, his mouth already salivating as he talked about the pizza.

Thirteen didn't answer his partner, but Jin could swear he heard Thirteen facepalm through the earpiece.

"Okay, you are getting close to the meeting point," Thirteen informed him as they approached a public inn.

The inn had a broken neon sign above it, its light weakly flickering, giving the dark night a faint glow.

Jin simply walked into the inn, though the sight of its dirty exterior made him shiver. Suppressing the urge to show his distaste on his face, he proceeded to the corner of the inn, ignoring the curious eyes that followed him.

He calmly took a seat at a corner table, but he could still feel the gazes concentrated on him.

"What time is he going to arrive?" Jin asked Thirteen, who was searching for their previous contract with the person.

"He is supposed to be here at 18:00, so he should arrive in five minutes if he doesn't come late," Thirteen informed him.

Despite the curious gazes still lingering on him, Jin felt mildly frustrated, but it wasn't long before those gazes turned to something else.

One of the inhabitants of the Tenth District approached him, wearing a white wifebeater that was recently puked on. Jin couldn't help but stare at the stain with visible disgust.

'What the hell, just clean it up, man, or better yet, burn it and get something not disgusting, god damn it,' Jin muttered to himself, shocked at how someone could wear something in that condition.

"Nice clothes!" sneered the bald man in the wifebeater, his remark clearly malicious as Jin stood out too much among the inhabitants of the Tenth District.

"Wish I could say the same…"

"…" Jin could swear that he heard Thirteen sigh loudly.

"What did you say, you bastard?!" the bald man asked with anger evident in his voice, his tone rising in fury.

"What I meant to say is, it's really nice to meet you, good sir. How can I help you out on this pleasant evening?" Jin corrected himself with a fake smile, interlocking his hands politely.

"Are you mocking me, you pretty bastard?!" The bald man's voice rose even further as he clenched a bottle of booze in his hand, preparing to smash it into a desk and use it as a weapon.

'Oh my fucking god.' Jin fought the urge to bury his face in his palms.

"Of course I'm not doing that, I would never look down on you… kind sir." Said Jin, trying his absolute best to not be disrespectful and end up in a brawl while he was still injured. 

"You're clearly mocking me, you fucking bastard!" bellowed the bald man. "Hand over your clothes!" 

"Bitch, what?" As Jin heard the demands, something snapped within him. 

He rose from his chair, standing tall before the bald man, towering over him by at least two heads.

The bald man shrunk back in fear, but the intoxicating effects of the alcohol soon emboldened him, dulling his sense of fear. 

"I. Said. Give. Me. Your. Clothes." the bald man spoke, each word followed up with a poke at Jin's chest. 

Without a word, Jin delivered a swift backhanded slap to the bald man, sending him straight to the floor. 

"I just put on these clothes, and you're trying to get filth on them? What the hell is wrong with you? And that puke stain, oh my god, man, it's dried up already. At least try to wash it with water, you animal," Jin raged in disbelief as he openly began to berate the bald drunk about basic hygiene. 

Everyone in the inn was staring at Jin, both because of his monstrous strength and because of his strange behavior.

Thirteen couldn't even say anything in response, as he was both used to it and shocked by it at the same time. He could only sigh at his partner's behavior. 

"Just go home and try to take a bath before you go to sleep, man!" Shouted Jin in anger before helping the bald drunk up from the ground while the man stared at Jin in shock.

"Okay, go home now," said Jin as he began to guide the man out of the inn, pointing in the direction he needed to go before returning to his chair.

The bald drunk only stared at Jin in a dumbfounded manner. Then, after almost a full minute of standing still, he began to walk home, alcohol still dulling his senses, but the slap helped him clear it up.

As Jin made his way back, he noticed someone sitting at his place who wasn't there before. The person wore a black suit, had black hair, and blue eyes, calmly sipping a drink.

'Probably the contractor,' Jin thought as he walked over and sat down in front of the man.

"I hope you have the package with you," the man said in a monotone voice.

'Bingo, there he is,' Jin thought.